SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — In an offseason that was already going to come with a lot of question marks, with several key players likely on the move, the Padres are adding another one to the top of the list — who will replace manager Mike Shildt after the skipper announced his decision to retire on Monday?
The news, which came eleven days after the Padres' season came to a close, took the baseball world by surprise.
“Just, really shocked," said Noah Kipnis, a longtime season ticket holder.
“I was with some coworkers," James Kemper said, recounting the moment he found out through social media. "I kinda told them, I was like, ‘This is kind of sad and depressing, honestly.’”
Safe to say, it was not the news Padres fans were expecting to wake up to.
“Yeah, just absolutely shocked," said Jed Brockbrader, who's calls himself a diehard fan. "I hope it’s not anything serious on his side as far as health or anything, but just absolutely shocked to leave a roster like this and walk away from it.”
In his announcement, which came through a letter to the San Diego Union-Tribune, Shildt said "the grind of the baseball season has taken a severe toll on me mentally, physically and emotionally."
While this might seem like it came out of nowhere to fans, it didn't to Shildt.
In the letter, he mentioned how he'd been weighing this decision during the season but came to peace with it over the last 10 days.
Shildt started his managing career with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2018, taking over as the interim manager in July of that season.
He won NL Manager of the year in 2019 and took the team to three consecutive postseason appearances in 2019-2021. Shildt was fired after the 2021 season.
He joined the Padres organization in 2022. According to MLB.com, Shildt started as a player development consultant before transitioning to a senior advisor to player development & major leagues the following season.
Shildt was named the manager of the Padres in November 2023, signing a two-year contract to become 23rd skipper in team history.
In two seasons with the team, Shildt led the Padres to back-to-back 90+ win seasons for the first time ever, and clinched consecutive postseason berths for the first time since the 2005-06 seasons.
“You could tell that he really could relate to these guys in every single way," Kipnis said. Not just on the field but off the field as well.”
“It was a family," Brockbrader added. "It was a brotherhood. You could tell the difference this year from the years past for sure.”
Adding to the shock, the fact that Shildt signed a two-year extension with the team in November 2024, keeping him through the 2027 season.
Padres President of Baseball Operations/General Manager AJ Preller said this about Shildt's retirement:
"We would like to congratulate Mike on a successful career and thank him for his significant contributions to the Padres and the San Diego community over the last four years, including consecutive 90-win seasons and two postseason appearances as manager.
His dedication and passion for the game of baseball will leave an impact on our organization, and we wish him the best in his next chapter.
The search for a new manager of the Padres will begin immediately with the goal of winning a World Series championship in 2026."
Brockbrader said, “Whoever they go get next, it’s going to be tough to have somebody come into this locker room and try to rally the troops. I hope they go internal rather than look outward.”
Like many fans, Kemper still has high hopes for the future.
“We’re going to go big," he said. "I feel like next year’s even going to be better than last year and the previous two years.”
While you won't see Shildt in the dugout anymore, fans expect to see the same standard of success he helped build for the brown and gold.
Follow ABC 10News Weather Anchor Max Goldwasser on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
